Why can't an alternative fuel be legislated?

Question

Legislation passed by the Senate requires broadcasters to end their traditional analog transmissions by Feb. 17, 2009, and send their signals digitally.

What is going on with the American government when they are willing to legislate digital tv signal transmission and not an alternative fuel system?

What is wrong with this picture?

Answer 1

No matter what the state of the environment, MONEY will always speak the loudest. Governments earn too much from fuel. There have been also many types of motors developed and the good ones have been bought out by the petrochemical companies and shelved. Anyone who is making money on fuel are going to do all they can to make sure that Petrol is our only option.

Answer 2

They do. Where have you been? Ever heard of ethanol?

Would it make sense to you for the government to mandate say more solar power. That by 20XX, X% of electrical power has to come from solar power?

If it does make sence then your an idiot. Current solar cells are extremely inefficient. On top of that, to generate any kind of real power solution from solar, we would have to sacrafic our land we use to grow food.

Personally, I's rather see the temp. go up 1 degree over a hundred years than people starving in the streets. I don't know about your mean and cruel self, but that just the kind of nice guy I am.

Answer 3

The government makes 6-8 times more off a gallon of gas than the oil companies do.  Everything you hear about the oil companies being evil because of their "obscene" salaries actually applies moreso to the government since all these big profit margins you hear about are taxed at astronomical rates.  So why would they have any incentive to push alternative fuels which can be obtained for free by individuals in their own homes?  The only reason you have even heard of alternative fuels is because the gov can use the possibility as one of the many reasons why oil is evil and so they should be "punished" with higher taxes (which do not end up in anybody's pocket), or worse, such as congressman Maxine Waters said, "taking over."  Are we living in a tyranny yet?

Answer 4

There is the electric car.

The government destroyed it though.

Answer 5

What fuel would you select?  None of the alternatives to petroleum have been developed enough to reliably replace petroleum.

The technology for digital transmission was developed years before the legislation was passed.  The federal government has an exclusive right to regulate the airwaves.  It does not have the same authority over fuel.

Answer 6

How dare the government impose itself into our "free" market!!